FIRST INJECTION MOLDED AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD FOR AUTOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE
04 November 2002 - Solvay Advanced Polymers Llc

The new manifold was engineered and designed by Managed Programs, L.L.C., and it is supplied by Composite Performance Technologies, L.L.C. These two affiliated companies have global experience in the creation of composite components for automotive original-equipment manufacturers.

F.A.S.T. wanted a part that outperformed the stock nylon manifold, but that was not subject to the weight and heat penalties imposed by a traditional aluminum replacement. The material specified for the LSX is AMODEL A-6135 HSL polyphthalamide from Solvay Advanced Polymers, L.L.C.

Unique in the aftermarket
The LSX manifold will replace the stock air intake that comes with the eight-cylinder LS1 and LS6 engines in the current Corvette and in recent models of the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird.

Through design iterations, Wilson and Managed Programs were able to increase the airflow by 25%. Manifold design engineer Tim Collins of MPI points out that “we also made the runners longer to maintain low-end torque for driveability.”

With no modifications, Collins estimates that the LSX will add 20 horsepower to the 360 generally available from the V-8s it is designed to fit. “The three-piece design makes additional tweaking do-able for the competent enthusiast. Being able to look down the runner at the intake valve, for example, simplifies the job of port matching, which can account for 50 additional horsepower in a normally aspirated engine.”

Details in the LSX design will also accommodate techniques that can push engine output beyond 600 hp, such as adding a turbocharger or engine-driven supercharger to pressurize intake air, or including such combustion enhancements as a nitrous oxide delivery system to the intake setup.

High performance, low volume manufacturing
The innovative multi-layer design allowed CPT to employ manufacturing strategies that make the low-volume program profitable. The stock part is cast of glass-reinforced nylon 6/6, essentially in one piece, using the lost core method. The three sections of the LSX, however, can be injection molded in open molds, taking time and money out of the molding process.

“Low-volume production can be treated in the same way as a high-volume prototype program,” explains Dan Agnew, President of CPT. “Effectively, we have eliminated the prototype stage, going directly to tools that will easily produce the number of parts anticipated for many years of production. By using rapid molded parts to prove the design, by keeping tooling costs down, and by being smart about the use of production molding equipment and time, we can keep the parts affordable for our customer.”

A strong choice of material
The selection of AMODEL A-6135 PPA addressed both performance and processing concerns. Agnew appreciates that the resin gives CPT the option of processing with hot water at high temperatures, or with hot oil. But operation in the underhood environment is the real measure of the material’s worth.

At high heat and high humidity, the tensile strength of AMODEL A-6135 resin is 20% greater than that of nylon 6, and significantly higher than the strength of nylon 6/6. “The pressure in a normally aspirated manifold is less than the surrounding atmosphere,” says Agnew, “but a turbo or supercharger will boost that pressure to 1.5 or 2 atmospheres. So the added strength is very important.” The flexural modulus of this AMODEL grade is at least 20% greater than the stiffness of either nylon 6 or 6/6. AMODEL A-6135 also offers greater resistance than nylon to tensile creep over time, which could cause air leakage at the manifold’s gaskets.

Resistance to underhood chemicals
AMODEL PPA materials have proven to provide the chemical resistance required in automotive underhood applications. The manifold, whose top section is molded in a distinctive gray color to indicate its performance intentions, will be exposed to gasoline, oil, grease, and the other fluids that are common in an automotive environment. In particular, the AMODEL resin is more resistant than nylon to
degradation from the new long-life coolants.

Lighter, cooler than aluminum
Traditionally, aftermarket performance intakes have been produced in aluminum, using sand casting. Jay Rohrback, F.A.S.T.’s General Manager, explains that “an aluminum replacement manifold for these engines weighs 26 pounds, while the LSX delivers better airflow and weighs only 11 pounds.”

“Aluminum also collects heat from the engine,” adds Rohrback, “warming the intake air. But the AMODEL material acts as an insulator. So the choice of this material in a composite design, instead of using cast aluminum, lets us adhere to the three basic rules of automotive performance parts: (1) lighter is faster; (2) cold air makes more power than warm air; and (3) if you’re going to make more power, you need stronger components to do it.”

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